Troodon
Troodon (name meaning "Wounding Tooth") is a genus of theropod troodontid dinosaur that originated during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now North America. Though a small dinosaur, only slightly larger than 2 meters long, Troodon was nevertheless a highly intelligent, fierce, and deadly little dinosaur. Close relatives of the dromaeosaurs, Troodon was part of the raptor family, therefore related to dinosaurs like Velociraptor, Utahraptor, and Deinonychus. Like them, it had a small, sickle toe claw, which it used to hold down and keep a grip on its prey. Among the first dinosaurs discovered in North America, Troodon also possesses a deadly venomous bite, which it uses to subdue and, in rare cases, kill its prey. In the Series 2 episode, "Lake Primal", a small pack of Troodon were brought back to the park from Texas 75 million years ago. They reside in one of the enclosures at Raptor Peak. Facts Era & Discovery Troodon lived throughout North America during the Late Cretaceous period from 80–65 million years ago. They shared their environments with Deinosuchus, Albertosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Edmontosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, Daspletosaurus, and Gorgosaurus. Discovered by Joseph Mellick Leidy in 1856, Troodon was said to be the very first dinosaur ever discovered in America. Physical Attributes Troodon was a relatively small dinosaur, with the largest recorded specimens growing to around 6–9 feet (2–3 m) long, standing 3–5 feet tall and weighing up to 100 lbs. Troodon was lightly-built, sinuous, and walk on two legs, like other theropods. They had long legs adapted for running quickly and relatively short arms. Troodon had a long, stiff, whip-like tail, to help it balance, while it was running. Troodon's eyes were forward-facing and large, and it had very good eyesight, which enabled to either hunt at night or to see in the dark lengthy polar winters. However, they had a very large brain, in fact, the largest brain of any dinosaur, relative to their body size. As such, Troodon was the smartest dinosaur ever discovered so far, with its intelligence equaling that have a modern-day opossum. It has even been claimed that this would have given this cunning reptile the same levels of intelligence as a Red Fox. This would have made it the "smartest dinosaur known". Additionally, it has now been discovered that Troodon possessed a biological weapon: a venomous bite, much like that of modern venomous snakes. The venom not only kills prey of similar size but also allows Troodon to slowly subdue animals many times their own size. And the more Troodon dites its prey, the quicker that prey will die. However, when attacking the larger predator, the venom would not be as effective. Behavior & Traits Vicious as they were clever, Troodons hunted in packs, like modern-day wolves or lions, overwhelming larger prey. It was a nocturnal hunter, using its acute senses of vision and hearing to hunt for its prey, at night. Troodon females could have laid up to 24 eggs. When incubating, male Troodon would sit on the nest as modern birds do. Though acting carnivorous, Troodon was also an omnivore, as evidenced by their serrated teeth. Though they most certainly ate plants, they were known to have raided the nests of large herbivores in its area, such as Parasaurolophus. They were also known to eat fish, small mammals, and even scavenge. Troodon had hands for grasping that it used in hunting. Like other raptors, Troodon had a sharp, retractable sickle-shaped claw on the second toe of each of its hind feet. It used this claw to slash at its prey. But they also used their claws to hold down their prey besides clawing them. Gallery untitled6.png Untiled3.png Trivia *The sound effects of Troodon are that of foxes, vultures, coyote, hyena, and cougar mixed with snake and lizard hisses. *In reality, Troodon was likely covered in feathers, and there is no evidence of it possessing a venomous bite, but there is a dinosaur called Sinornithosaurus, who possibly possessed a venomous bite due to some dentitional similarities to modern venomous snakes. *The Troodon is immune to its own venom. *''Troodon'' is also the most intelligent dinosaur in the series. Category:Prehistoric Animals Category:Dinosaurs Category:Reptiles Category:Cretaceous Dinosaurs Category:Cretaceous Wildlife Category:Troodonts Category:Carnivores Category:Theropods